Baijiu isn't the most palatable of alcohols, but we finally found one we liked, from Vinn Distillery in Portland, Oregon

In honor of Chinese New Year, we at the Bon Appétit offices found ourselves sourcing a few bottles of baijiu to celebrate. Baijiu is a distilled clear spirit from China traditionally made from sorghum and ranging anywhere from 40–60% alcohol by volume. It's much like grappa, vodka, or aquavit in that it will absolutely knock you on your ass if you drink enough of it (i.e., three shots). It also happens to taste pretty terrible (a strange mixture of ethyl alcohol and soy sauce?), so when we heard that a few companies in the United States were making more refined versions, we decided to give them a try.

As it turns out, as long as sorghum is involved, baijiu isn't going to taste any better regardless of how many times you distill it. But, much to our surprise, Vinn Distillery in Portland, Oregon, has managed to produce a more palatable version by making it entirely with rice. Smoother with a mellow, sake-ish flavor, it's definitely easier to drink, preferable to any Chinese baijiu we've ever been offered, and maybe even a spirit to consider having in your liquor cabinet just because. So if you're celebrating Chinese New Year this weekend, gong xi fa cai! And gan bei—we raise this glass to you.